Regarding the ethical standards of earlier generations of journalists and copying, see INS v AP, 248 U.S. 215 (1918) where INS rewrote large numbers of news articles they acquired from AP through bribery and other means, without attribution.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_News_Service_v._A...

This is the origin of the "hot news" idea of short-term copyright, balancing the effort of the original writer with the public's need to know the news.

The linked scenario, however, is quite different.